The Internet is a Home Educator’s best friend. In the past, homeschoolers relied, to varying degrees, on the local public library and the postman. Now, with always-on internet and smart phones, information is available in seconds. I have bookmarked hundreds of websites in my 6 years of homeschooling and find additional ones everyday. Here is a list of helpful websites for homeschoolers. This list doesn’t scratch the surface when it comes to learning tools, but it’s a good start.
When I first started homeschooling, the only purchase I made for my then 3 year old was the reading program, FrontlinePhonics. For everything else I relied on these sites:
Â
- EnchantedLearning  – I used this site as a paying member for a number of years as they have great printables available for every subject you can think of in elementary school.
- EdHelper – Also a site that is worth its membership. EdHelper offers worksheets and lesson plans from preschool up to the High School.
- StarFall.com – StarFall is great for the beginning reader. It’s an interactive site that engages the children and gets them excited about reading.
Â
As he’s gotten older, we have also come to rely on these websites for great information:
Â
- YouTube– The first website I turn to when I want to give a visual explanation to my son is YouTube. Many times, the subject matter is explained in a fun relatable way that really excites the learner.
- NationalGeographicKids – National Geographic for Kids has great information on animals, animal habitats, countries and cultures.
- Biology4Kids – This is a great site to supplement your Biology curriculum. It’s just one of five Science websites which include Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.
- KidsofIntegrity– This Focus on The Family Canada site has great character building lesson plans. It is bible based and can be used as bible study if one wishes. With topics including Generosity, Honesty, Attentiveness and Humility, this is a resource that can be used as a full year’s curriculum.
- SuperTeacherWorksheets – I relied heavily on Super Teacher Worksheets for supplemental worksheets when it was still a free site. They offer worksheets for Grades One – Five in everything from Math to Reading Comprehension. I still use their limited free worksheets, but I do say it is worth paying the low membership fee for access to the whole site.
- KhanAcademy– While I do not use Khan Academy regularly, I do have it bookmarked as it is a great reference for middle and high schoolers who need assistance in the areas of Math.
- FreelyEducate – Run by a homeschool mom, Freely Educate gives great FREE learning resources. You can find free curriculum, unit studies, lesson plans and worksheets.
Â
As stated earlier, this is just the beginning of all the resources available online. In just a few minutes of your time, you can create your own library of websites for any subject area for your homeschool. It’s a great way to supplement or even create your own curriculum at home.
I also, do this with grades 6-8 at my chcurh. I have always worried about the older kids at my chcurh during worship service. They all sit together at the front of the chcurh with all the others kids their age and without their parents. They just don’t pay attention. They are day dreaming or drawing, etc. Some of the kids at our chcurh did not grow up there (their parents don’t come, they come alone) and most all of the kids don’t know some of the leaders in our chcurh. So, I ask them questions. If they turn their paper in to me after chcurh I give them a piece of candy, because some of them would not do it. You would not believe the difference in their attentiveness during the worship service. Some of the high schoolers want to do it to. #1 What deacon led the altar prayer or who sang special music, etc. #2 I will ask what song did we sing for call to worship or what song for praise and worship? #3 What is the scripture for the message? #4 How many times did the Preacher say Jesus? #5 What was the sermon about? #6 How can you apply this message to your life? #7 What color is Ms. Jeannie (she is our music leader) wearing? This question helps them learn people in our chcurh that they don’t ever talk to. The kids really enjoy the chcurh sheets and I believe they are learning more by doing them. I change the questions each week, but they are along the same lines.
Hi Michelle! Well, here’s one great resource for homeschoolers like us – https://www.opened.io/
OpenEd contains the LARGEST and MOST COMPLETE catalog of free educational videos available ANYWHERE.
It’s free and in private beta for now. Let me know if you need an invite.
Also K5learning.com is a great paid-for site that tracks student progress. You can sign up for a 2 week no-strings-attached trial for free.